Look, I'm not trying to start something or be insensitive with this. I found it interesting that everything I've seen dealing with Boston's reactions and how it relates to the area's sports teams the Revs are nowhere to be found. It just seems strange that these excellent and touching stories never mention Matt Reis but ask how the B's and C's were affected. I know the Revs do not rate as the B's and C's do but here was a true connection to the tragedy and nothing. Anyone else notice this?
Hell, yes. I found it infuriating. I try not to dwell on it too hard, though; not worth the emotional roller-coaster. But ya, it pissed me off so much I'd rather not go into it.
The fact that Reis isn't with the team any more probably is a factor. Not that that excuses the lack of coverage, but it probably would reduce the likelihood of local reporters making the Revs-Marathon connection. (Still, you'd think they could pick up a phone and call L.A....)
An effective PR presence in the organization can make it easy for the media to cover them. Spoon-feed a reporter if you have to, even write the "story" for them and let them make edits and byline it, it's all the same anyhow. Not that this is the case, but you almost have to go into it with the assumption that the reporters are going to be lazy, so for a "feature," the easier you make it for them, the more likely you'll get coverage. People say that the Revs' lean staffing doesn't matter as long as Heaps can put a young, attacking team on the field. Well, this is an area that more than pays for itself, and it is a real missed opportunity to drive visibility (other than on your own company facebook and web pages). This added visibility can only increase interest, ticket sales and ultimately revenue. But when you set an arbitrary budget where you can only pay someone $55,000 a year, when a good PR person will typically get over $100,000, you are going to get mediocre slackers who tweet about their new kitchenware set, and publicly admit that they don't even like the sport.
Do they really? Seems high considering a quick search revealed most PR Managers in Boston make between 40k and 80k with of course some north of that. 55k falls within a normal distribution of salaries. Even still, for the ones on the high end, I want to work for those companies!
Well, I don't know specifics on salaries, but I was making a more general point. I do know that if you want to have good, experienced people who can get you results, it's not a matter of hiring a 28 year old who is on their second job since college to be the person running an entire area of your business. But another way, I know on good authority that the Revs had interveiwed someone for a Director of Marketing position, and while these jobs in the sports industry generally will pay less than a similar position for a company that makes electronic components or labratory chemicals, the money they offered this guy was not even close to what someone at his age and experience level would expect. This guy had also worked in a similar capacity for several sports teams with a much higher profile than the Revs have. If you're $5,000 apart on salary you can find ways to work it out. But when you're $30,000 off, there isn't much you can do.
Even more frustrating is when Comcast Sports NE " The Home of the Revs" is consistently guilty of never mentioning them in their tweets or online stories.
Does this mean that the Rev PR office has more contacts with the Beeb than they do with NBC Sports? ESPN? Boston media?
I doubt this started with the Revs. The Guardian and BBC give MLS a decent amount of coverage, even moreso than a lot of mainstream American media.
Heather Abbot, one of the bombing victims, with her Rebellion Boston Strong scarf. She wore it on the mound at Fenway that night when she threw out first pitch.